Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which usually occurs on the parts of the body that have been overexposed to the sun.
The primary cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light (UV) exposure in those with low levels of skin pigment.
The UV light may be from either the sun or from other sources, such as tanning devices.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Toronto provides a brief overview of this malignant skin cancer for doctors and patients.
According to them, there are five things people need to know about melanoma:
Sun exposure is an important factor in the development of melanoma. The disease often appears on the face, neck, arms, and torso, where sun exposure is common.
But melanoma can also happen on areas with minimal sun exposure, such as palms and soles of the feet. It may rarely occur in the mouth, intestine or eye.
A specific mitogen-activated pathway is linked to mutations causing melanoma. Genomic sequencing may help identify biomarkers of melanoma for diagnosis and treatment.
About 10% of melanomas are hard to diagnose because they may look pink, red, clear or normal skin-colored.
Patients with any suspicious skin lesions should be referred to dermatology.
This includes colored lesions with any of the ABCDE criteria (Asymmetric shape, irregular Border, Color variation, Diameter greater than 6 mm and Evolution change) should be considered suspicious.
The authors of the study are Robert Micieli and Kucy Pon.
The study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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